The Grimes Four
by di311
Summary: A collection of one shots about the Grimes family: Rick, Lori, Carl and Judith. Chapter 4: Lori, Judith & Daryl
1. Preparedness

This is a short one featuring Rick and Carl. Thank you to my friend Robyn (PrintDust) for giving a prompt and looking it over for me.

Rick Grimes was prepared for many things in life. His job required him to be prepared at all times; he'd seen car crashes and robberies, drug busts, and shoplifters. He and his wife Lori had prepared themselves to welcome their firstborn son into the world. They had a room ready for him and more baby stuff than he even knew existed, or what to do with. He was even prepared for watching his wife's abdomen get sliced open in the surgical procedure that officially brought the baby into their lives and started their family. Love and pride filled his heart as he watched his wife hold their son, Carl, for the first time. He wavered a bit, but still held it together.

He was not prepared, however, for the moment his wife passed the tiny, red, wriggly bundle into his arms. He had seen his son plenty of times on the ultrasound screen, felt the baby move around and greet his father from his mother's belly with quick, sharp kicks or a little elbow or hand pushing back at his own. He thought he had gotten to know Carl pretty well. But meeting him outside of the womb and seeing his little face with tiny, perfectly formed features was a completely different thing. He was a new person, a new life with part of Rick and part of Lori. Breathing, crying, blinking, and then his eyes landed on Rick's. In that moment the new father realized that no matter how much preparation was done, he never would have been fully ready for the shift in his life. He thought he had a deeper and fuller understanding of love when he married Lori. But this was an entirely different level that he never could have known without Carl. He would never make a decision again without thinking of this life that was part of him. And when he placed his index finger in the tiny palm of his son's hand and felt the boy instinctively grip it, he knew that he was prepared to give his own life without a moments hesitation in order to protect that of his son.


	2. Cravings

Here's one featuring Lori (and "fetus Judith") with Beth and a little bit of the other Grimes' and mentions of other characters. Again, prompt from the talented PrintDust :)

Lori didn't consider herself one of those women who had constant, unreasonable food cravings when pregnant. Based on her pregnancy with Carl, she thought her food habits were normal: she did prefer some foods over others, and couldn't stand the smell of certain ones like mayonnaise and cucumber.

That was before the apocalypse when normal foods were readily available. Now the simplest thing was a luxury. And for a week now Lori had been craving a huge bowl of cornflakes cereal. Badly. She had literally been having dreams about eating it and waking up disappointed. She wasn't going to bother telling anyone about the craving, not wanting to be a further burden then she felt she already was. But one day Beth initiated a conversation that brought it straight to the forefront of her mind.

"So, what do you miss from the world before?" Beth looked at her inquisitively with her big blue eyes.

Lori massaged her belly, which was rumbling with hunger as usual in their current circumstances of being on the run from place to place.

"Hmm…cornflakes," she answered wistfully.

"Seriously, that's it?!" Beth laughed.

"Oh, honey, you're talking to a pregnant woman. Cornflakes have been the only thing on my mind for the last week. The baby wants them somethin' fierce."

"Well, maybe we can get a hold of some!" Beth chirped.

Lori smiled at the girls sweet optimism and consideration.

"It's alright, the baby will just have to get over it and make due with what we have," she answered even as her stomach rumbled again in protest, "what do you miss?"

Beth thought for a moment, "well I was going to say something like my cell phone but now you've got me thinkin' about food! I'd give anything for some chocolate right about now!"

The two ladies shared a laugh. It was nice to have a somewhat normal moment in the midst of the physically and emotionally exhausting life they'd been forced to adapt to.

xx

The next morning Beth came up to Lori and waved a paper in front of her face. Lori looked at her questioningly, "what is this?"

"It's a food wish list! After our conversation yesterday I decided to start one and pass it around. I figure if we all keep it in mind eventually we'll find everything everyone is craving and we'll all get to enjoy our favorites one more time."

Lori couldn't help but grin at the idea. She took the list from Beth and sure enough, everyone's name was written down with a food item listed next to it. Even Rick and Daryl, which was quite surprising to Lori.

"How did you manage to get Rick and Daryl to give you an answer? I can't imagine them being that interested in this game…"

"Firstly, it's not a game," Beth replied sternly, "and secondly, I just asked them over and over again until they finally gave me something so I would go away. Trust me, I have experience in these things with Maggie, works like a charm every time!"

Lori burst into laughter at the image of Beth hounding the two stoic men. Especially Rick, she knew it drove him nuts when Carl would ask for something repeatedly, particularly when he whined which Lori suspected Beth had done. She would have paid to see the look on his face as the blonde girl asked him about food cravings. She couldn't remember the last time she had experienced deep belly laughter like that.

"Okay, so we have a list, now what are the chances of us actually fulfilling every request?"

"Well, that's the thing. I made everyone pick somethin' that would be easy enough to access now. That means no fried chicken or filet mignon or anything else that we couldn't realistically find or prepare. It's gonna happen Lori, I know it!"

The older woman humored Beth with a smile and nod, but in her head she still assumed she'd never see cornflakes again.

xx

Unbelievably, one day the group happened upon a small convenience store that was still fairly intact. Beth made a beeline for the candy section for her chocolate, Carl right behind her to get his favorite sour candies. T-Dogg was ripping a bag of potato chips open right on the aisle, and Carol stocked up on the packaged cakes and grabbed Daryl's licorice since he was on watch at the doors with Rick. Maggie and Glenn went together to their respective sections, first for her peanut butter and then for his pretzels. Hershel quietly selected a few chocolate bars for himself, perhaps Beth got her love of them from him.

Lori stood in front of the cereal aisle with a goofy grin on her face. Several boxes of cornflakes were still set up on the shelf, untouched. She grabbed a few, receiving help from T, who stuffed them under the arm that wasn't holding his chip collection.

Before walking out, she chanced a glance at her husband who was still standing dutifully at the door with Daryl, holding only his gun. She made her way over to the aisle with pre-popped popcorn and grabbed a couple of bags. She had already known what his craving would be without even looking at the list. On her way out of the store she pushed one into his free hand with a smirk. To her surprise, he accepted it and cracked a smile, shaking his head and she thought perhaps he was suppressing laughter.

That night each one of them sat around the fire and enjoyed their own special treat. It was a good night, filled with laughter and contentment that Lori had been sure would never touch the group again. She suspected no one was quite as content as her and the baby at that moment. Beth had even went the extra mile for her to grab some powdered milk that she later mixed with water for the cereal. She went to bed that night with a smile on her face, and could honestly say that she had never felt more satisfied by a craving than on that night.


	3. I Would Take A Whisper

_I would take a whisper if that's all you had to give_

Lori sat on her bunk attempting to mimic what Hershel had done days earlier to get the baby to move. She was satisfied in knowing that the baby was still alive but it still bothered her that he or she wouldn't move. She poked and prodded her belly to no avail. She was busy concentrating on her task when she caught movement in her peripheral vision. Assuming it was Carol returning to their cell, she didn't bother lifting her head until she realized the figure hadn't moved from the cell entryway.

She finally looked up to find Rick standing there, frowning. Her heart fluttered with nerves momentarily. Ever since the day Hershel almost died their interactions had gotten better but she still feared that he would shut her out again or get angry with her about something. She was starting to wonder what she could have done that upset him until she followed his gaze and realized he was watching her prod her belly.

He raised his eyes to meet hers and nodded in the direction of her large bump, "Everything alright?"

"Oh…yeah," Lori laughed, part relieved and part nervous. "I was just trying to get the baby to move. Been real quiet lately but Hershel checked the other day. Everything still seems good. Makes me nervous though…"

She drifted off, wondering how much of that kind of talk Rick wanted to hear. He did, after all, tell her she should talk to Hershel if she had concerns about the baby. But that was before things had improved slightly. Still, she was curious what brought him up to her cell in the first place.

"Something goin' on down there?" She asked, trying to keep her voice neutral.

"Just…making rounds. Checkin' if anyone needs anything." Lori nodded nonchalantly, but despite their strained relationship, she still knew her husband well. She could tell by the way he paused and shifted his feet that the rounds reason wasn't entirely true. She felt nervous in a different way at that thought, the same way she had felt when he touched her shoulder to say the group was grateful for what she did for Hershel.

"Well, I'm okay up here, but don't mind the company if you want to sit," she ventured, hoping her assumption was correct that there was more to his reason for coming to see her.

He only hesitated a couple of seconds before stepping into the room and sitting beside her on the bunk, still keeping a comfortable distance between them.

"You should be ready to deliver real soon right? Maybe the baby just doesn't have any more room in there," Rick suggested, mostly keeping his eyes on the wall across from them.

"That's true," Lori agreed, watching her husband carefully. He had both hands on his knees, thrumming his fingers against them. She wanted to laugh at how silly they must look. Like two teenagers who were unsure how to talk to each other. "Still," she continued, "I'm just not used to the stillness I guess. Carl didn't stop moving up until he came out."

Rick chuckled, which in turn made Lori smile. "If I recall correctly, that's because he constantly had the hiccups. Looked like he was tryin' to break out all the time."

"Yeah, maybe this one can tell life's much better in there so it might as well stay as long as possible," she mused, surprised when he finally stopped thrumming his fingers and reached over to place his hand lightly on her hard belly.

He turned his face from the wall to make eye contact with her, "we'll figure out a way to give this baby a good life."

She smiled, trying to hold back the emotion that welled up in her, just as it had when he last touched her. Slowly but surely he was coming around and perhaps when the baby was born they'd have a chance to work on rebuilding their family. The spark of hope that she felt days ago on the catwalk started to grow.

Lori started when the baby gave a solid thump with it's foot against her side where Rick's hand was still resting until he pulled it back, also surprised. She couldn't help the joyful laugh that bubbled up through her.

"Thought you said the baby wasn't moving?" He asked, amusement in his voice.

"It wasn't," Lori insisted, "maybe it only moves to greet other people…sick of me I guess." She tried to keep her tone lighthearted, but the idea that yet another family member of hers didn't want to be in her presence sobered her and she lost the hopefulness she was feeling previously. She noticed Rick shift in his spot in the bunk, indicating that he saw the change in her.

"Nah," he shook his head for emphasis, "I think it's what you said, life's better in that cozy place you got set up, probably just tryin' not to make a fuss so you won't kick em out."

Despite the unlikeliness of his statement, Lori smiled. The fact that he was even trying to make her feel better was enough to bring her hope back.

"Besides, maybe I'm the one who should be offended, it did kick me after all," he smirked.

Lori laughed, noting that the conversation was the most lighthearted she had seen Rick in months. Before she could reply again Carol walked into the cell, looking between the two of them curiously.

Rick greeted Carol and stood up, saying something about needing to continue his rounds and check on Carl. As he walked out of the cell Carol turned to Lori, quirking her eyebrow and silently asking what that was all about.

Lori shrugged casually and tried to keep her smile minimal. She didn't want to share her hopes with anyone else just yet. She patted her belly, thanking the baby for helping her out with that one and to her surprise received a tap in response. If the past few minutes were any indication of the future, this baby was going to keep them on their toes.

xx

Lori smiled softly as she watched Hershel maneuver successfully on his crutches. She had to agree with his sentiment that the prison was quickly becoming a place they could actually live. Carl was also being warmer to her that morning. All in all things were starting to look brighter.

She noticed the rest of the group who were out and about had stopped what they were doing to watch Hershel. Her eyes zeroed in on Rick who had come up to the fence across the way, holding the gate with his hand. Their eyes locked from across the way and she couldn't help but smile as she pushed her hair back out of her face. It seemed as if a bunch of butterflies were let loose inside of her, reminding her again of being a giddy teenager and falling in love for the first time. She felt a little silly for reacting that way, but also proud that both times it was the same man who had elicited that response in her.

She held his gaze for another moment until the baby decided to greet her again with a little wiggle, causing her to glance down and cradle her belly, still with a smile on her face. It was good to enjoy some happier moments again. For the first time in quite a while, Lori felt calm and peaceful.

**A/N: The title of this one-shot and the snippet of lyrics in the beginning comes from the song "Echo" by Jason Walker. I think those lyrics fit perfectly with the scene from 3x04 that I referenced to in the end and created a video to the whole song that you can find on that popular video site that starts with you and ends with tube (this site won't let me even write the word!). Just paste this link in after the site homepage address: watch/v=0N75czcpHkM **


	4. Surprises

"Mama?" Judith called for the fifth time in as many minutes.

"Yes, sweetie?" Lori answered patiently, remembering the ever-so-curious stage of the two-and-a-half-year-old toddler.

"Where's Daddy?" the little girl asked as she ran back over to where Lori was, hemming some pants for her daughter, who had finally grown out of the ones she'd been wearing for quite awhile.

"He's working outside, makin' sure we have food to eat, remember?" she reminded Judith, who nodded in return, running her chubby hands over the blankets on the bed.

"Where's Ca-ahl?" she drawled, still having not mastered the pronunciation of the letter 'R'.

"He's outside with Daddy, silly girl," Lori answered again, ruffling the girl's smooth brown hair.

"Oh yeah! I fo-got," Judith giggled, hoisting herself up onto the bunk beside her mother.

"Judith!" Lori gasped as her hand jerked with the movement of the bed, barely missing her finger with the needle she was easing through the fabric. "Careful!" she scolded, giving her daughter a hard look until she noticed that the girl had frozen in place, her bottom lip sticking out and beginning to tremble. She was at a stage where even the smallest reaction from one of the adults or her big brother would cause her to crumble into tears. Rick had to be especially careful because she hung on his every word; she was definitely a Daddy's girl.

"I…I sowwy, Mama," she stammered, looking up at Lori with big eyes, tears gathering on her long eyelashes.

"It's alright, sweetheart," Lori set her sewing on her other side and opened her arms up to Judith who immediately crawled over and into her mother's embrace. "I'm not mad at you, but you need to remember to listen to instructions, okay?" She felt Judith nod against her collarbone. "Do you remember what I told you to do when Mommy is sewing?"

"Yes," she sniffled. "Be cah-ful so nobody get an owwie?"

"That's right," she affirmed, stroking her daughter's hair - it was getting so long - she couldn't believe how fast time was flying and how quickly kids grew up, even in a world where everyday had a question mark hanging over it. She sighed, thankful for the time being that her family and their group had been given so far. She'd never thought they'd make it this far when she was pregnant, she hoped the good fortune they'd been given would continue.

Lori was startled out of her thoughts by the sound of the cellblock gate opening. She expected to find her husband or son walking in, but instead she saw Daryl with a small bundle of cloth in his arms. Lori's eyes widened, her first thought being that Daryl had found an abandoned baby.

"What's wrong with the kid?" he asked, jerking his chin towards Judith who still had her head buried in Lori's chest.

"Just a little accident is all," Lori supplied, nudging her daughter to get her to greet her uncle Daryl who came up to kneel in front of her.

"Hey Jude, I found somethin' that might cheer ya up," he announced, bringing up his hand to tickle the toddler underneath her chin. She giggled and turned her face so he could see her, but remained close to Lori. The woman arched an eyebrow at him in question, assuming at this point that it couldn't be a baby.

Just as he began to undo the fabric, Lori heard a very small, high-pitched mewing sound. She grinned as he finally revealed a small kitten, small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. Golden fur accented by dark orange and white stripes and blue-green eyes that were not far from Judith's own eye color peeked out from underneath the cloth. It began meowing in earnest as he lifted it with one hand to show mother and daughter. Judith gasped and smiled at the kitten, but her face quickly changed as she scrunched her brow. "Wha's that?" she asked.

"It's a kitten, baby," Lori filled in, she'd forgotten that Judith was still very naive to many things that were once considered normal and common knowledge. Spending most of her time inside the prison walls and playing in the confines of the courtyard, she hadn't seen much of the things the world had to offer unless it was on the page of a book. "Remember the picture book with the animals?" she tried. There hadn't been any cats in it but it had many farm animals, including a dog.

Judith nodded enthusiastically, she loved the book and insisted upon "_reading_" it at least once a week.

"This is a different animal," Lori explained. "It's a baby cat, they like to run and climb and play."

"I wike to play!" Judith cheered. "I could play with it?"

"Of course," Lori laughed. "But let's hold it first so it feels comfortable with you, okay?" She motioned for Daryl to hand the kitten to the toddler. He nodded, using both hands to gently support the small creature as Lori helped Judith to put her arms into a cradle position. "Be gentle," she encouraged as he placed it into Judith's arms. The kitten purred and nuzzled its head against the little girl, causing her to beam proudly, looking up at her mother for reassurance.

"Good," Lori encouraged, wishing she had a camera to capture the cuteness of her daughter holding a sweet little kitten. "He-um-it likes you!" she finished, looking to Daryl. "Do you know what it is?"

"It's a girl, actually," he chuckled. "There were a few others, but they didn't make it. This one's a lil' asskicker just like yours."

Lori snorted. "Mind the language around said little one."

He grunted. "Yes ma'am," he watched Judith and the kitten for a moment. "Well you got a name for it, kid?"

Judith looked questioningly to Lori again. "Name?"

"Yes, sweetie, the kitten can live here with us so we'll need to call her something. Just like we call you Judith or Jude for short." She could see the wheels turning in her daughter's mind as she pondered what she might like to name her new pet.

"I could name her Ca-wot since she sure looked like one, huh? And call her Ca-wie for short?" she asked. Both adults chuckled at her choice; carrots were Judith's favorite vegetable to eat, though she didn't have many choices. Lori marveled at her cleverness in naming the cat based on its color and picking a nickname for it. Her little girl really was growing up too fast.

"You can name her anything you want. I like Carrot." The kitten had gone from nuzzling to turning over in Judith's arms, lying on her back just like an infant would. Lori reached over to stroke the white fur on its belly. Judith looked down at her cat and smiled. "I weally like Ca-wot," she announced, snuggling her closer. Lori nudged her daughter. "What do you say to your uncle Daryl?"

"Thank you, uncle Da-wyl," Judith said obediently but genuinely.

Daryl smiled a little and nodded. Lori cleared her throat. "And what do you say, Uncle Daryl?" she teased.

"Uh, yeah, you're welcome Jude," he muttered and got up to walk away, but paused in the cell entryway. "You think Rick will like Carrot?" he said over his shoulder. Lori could see the smirk on his face; she had been wondering the same thing. Her husband had never been very into pets and had resisted Carl's many pleas for a dog.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough," she answered, continuing to watch Judith cuddle her new friend. "But something tells me this one will convince him to love it," she added, gesturing to her daughter.

"Yep," he nodded, walking out and heading towards the stairs. "Lost the battle to that little girl a long time ago."

Lori smiled and hummed in agreement. She reached up from the kitten's belly to scratch under its chin, causing it to purr loudly and flail its little arms and legs. Judith giggled with delight.

"Do it again, Mama!"

She obliged her daughter, laughing with her. She had been wrong before, back when she didn't want to have the baby. Sure that it wouldn't have any good memories. There was still joy in the world; the scene in front of her was a perfect example.

Even in the midst of the darkness, life was still full of little surprises.


End file.
